4Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Keele, Keele ST5 5BG

5Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Research, University College London, London WC1E 6AU

Correspondence to: M Henderson marion{at}msoc.mrc.gla.ac.uk

Accepted 6 October 2006

Abstract

Objective
To assess the impact of a theoretically based sex education programme (SHARE) delivered by teachers compared with conventional education in terms of conceptions and terminations registered by the NHS.

Design
Follow-up of cluster randomised trial 4.5 years after intervention.

Setting
NHS records of women who had attended 25 secondary schools in east Scotland.

Main outcome measure
NHS recorded conceptions and terminations for the achieved sample linked at age 20.

Results
In an “intention to treat” analysis there were no significant differences between the groups in registered conceptions per 1000 pupils (300 SHARE v 274 control; difference 26, 95% confidence interval −33 to 86) and terminations per 1000 pupils (127 v 112; difference 15, −13 to 42) between ages 16 and 20.

Conclusions
This specially designed sex education programme did not reduce conceptions or terminations by age 20 compared with conventional provision. The lack of effect was not due to quality of delivery. Enhancing teacher led school sex education beyond conventional provision in eastern Scotland is unlikely to reduce terminations in teenagers.

Footnotes

Further details on the final outcomes of the SHARE programme can be found bmj.com.

We thank the young people and teachers involved for their cooperation and support, without which the study would not have been possible; Rod Muir, Alan Finlayson, and David Clark of the information and statistics division of NHS Scotland for providing data and support; Douglas Kirby for advice; our advisory committee and colleagues in the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit and Applied Statistics Group, Napier University, for advice and encouragement; and Sally Macintyre for helping with the study design and support.

Contributors: DW (principal investigator) and SS originated the study. DW, GMR, SS, CA, and GH designed the original study, while MH, GMR and DW collaborated with the NHS Scotland to access the data, which was analysed by GMR and MH and commented on by DW, CA, and AP. MH, GMR, and DW drafted the paper and MH revised subsequent drafts based on coauthors' comments. GMR, CA, AP, GH, DW, and SS commented on subsequent drafts of the paper and agreed on the final version. MH, GMR, and DW are guarantors.

Funding: UK Medical Research Council and the Health Education Board for Scotland.